


Crystal Visions

by GlitterFox



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, Multi, Not much violence or anything at the moment but its the foxes so you know its probably gonna happen, POV Andrew Minyard, Protective Andrew Minyard, Slow Burn, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Witch AU, Witch Andrew Minyard, Witch Neil Josten, Witches, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:00:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27131471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterFox/pseuds/GlitterFox
Summary: Andrew Minyard is fine being alone, really he is. Bee has her small little coven and he has his own practice, the ingredients that speak to him and guide him and his magical doodles to keep him company. The last thing he expects is to find a home amongst other witches that aren't Bee.AKAA story of a young witch finding his place and comfort in his practice.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	1. Rain

**Author's Note:**

> I have absolutely no idea what this is or what I want to do with it but I was hit with inspiration and decided to use it. I'm not a writer but I decided I'd give this a shot. (There's probably a lot of mistakes but I tried my best.)

It started so long ago if it wasn’t for his perfect memory the occurrence would have faded as he got older, lost to time until it was just a mere happening he tried to recall back on . Sneaking out in the middle of the night to the local library and finding what interested him. The woman in charge of said library never questioned why he was there but the fact that she let him in after hours and stayed late into the night until he was ready to go definitely never went unnoticed. Sometimes she’d hand him books she thought he’d enjoy and let him keep them for as long as he wanted, he never so much as gave them more than a glance before taking them from her offered hand and putting them in his backpack.  
It was a handful of visits later that he finally inquired about her name in a small voice and with an almost uninterested expression on his face. The woman laughed from her spot across from him at the table they were sitting at. The library was different at night, the whirring of the old computers was practically non existent and the building seemed to reach a new level of quiet that seemed almost impossible given that it was a library. A place known for silence. This silence however was comforting and not forced. The woman had a stack of books with her, the titles Andrew’s eyes couldn’t quite focus enough to read.

“Betsy. But you can call me Bee.”

“Andrew.”

He gave a curt nod, letting the comforting silence and the occasional paper rustling of a turning book page fall back over them.

Bee was a soft and gentle woman, treating each book she handled with the utmost care and tentative touch. Turning the pages she was mindlessly lost in with such tender and considerate care it was like the books were alive and would feel any mistreatment and mishandling. Andrew remembers the bitter taste in his mouth and the feeling in his gut he could only describe as jealousy. A silly old book was treated better than he ever was. He put those feelings to the back of his mind and continued reading.

It was a few nights later when Andrew found himself wandering towards the library again, the phantom touch of unwanted hands on him too strong to stay still and in that house. His footsteps were rushed and he wanted nothing more than to read in the comfortable silence the library provided and the company that he found to love from Bee. The library was his safe space and practically felt like his home. The home he thought he would have had with the Spears, with Cass. The woman he found himself reluctantly caring about, who treated him like he was her actual son. She was just like the others though, well almost. He did believe she cared but the blindness to how her own flesh and blood Drake Spear treated his new adoptive brother was getting old. However he couldn’t find it in him to hate her. The woman that showed him the different kitchen ingredients to cook with and which were better paired together. Knowledge that he soaked up and used just to see the bright smile on her face when he changed a recipe and improved it.

Andrew pushed the now overwhelming thoughts farther back into his head as he approached the library door, the singular desk lamp on Bees desk bright and illuminating her small comfortable corner of the library. Comfort. Bee and her library was his only source of comfort and the dangerous feeling of hope found itself creeping up Andrews body. His stomach warmed from the feeling and threatened to suffocate him as it settled and made itself at home in his throat.  
He didn’t like it but no matter how hard he pushed it away it inserted itself firmly in his brain, heart, and soul and he just sighed opening the door that he knew was unlocked.  
Bee looked up from her book and gave him a small almost knowing and sad smile. Andrew was familiar with that look, he sees it every time he shows up at the library after another bout of abuse from Drake. Andrew does nothing but ignore it. If it was anyone else he’d be more than suspicious of the knowing look but Bee. Bee is safe.

“Andrew! How lovely to see you. What would you like to read today?”

She stands from her desk and approaches him slowly, her hair up and glasses on the tip of her nose. Her movements as always were slow but not cautious, she never walked on eggshells around him and he found himself appreciating more and more of the small things like that she did.

Andrew shrugged.

Bee nodded before tapping her pen three times on a nearby reading desk.

“Take a seat, dear.”

Andrew sat down watching her leave into the office behind her desk. The sound of heavy rain starting against the roof calmed his nerves more than he thought it would and he found himself closing his eyes, leaning back in his chair with his face towards the ceiling, taking in the _thump thump thump_ of the rain. He thinks to himself that It almost feels like the library itself has accepted him before he scoffs. _‘Don’t be an idiot.’_

The sound of a stack of books being placed softly onto the table in front of him has him flinching. A small but still noticeable movement that Bee doesn’t comment on. Andrew cracks one eye open and looks at the stack of books, then to Bee, then back to the books. They look familiar, having seen her read them on occasion in the later hours of his visits to the library. He remembers squinting to read the spines but giving up when his eyes refused to focus. Bee sits as straight as ever across from him and smiles at him.

“These are from my personal collection. Old family heirlooms. I want you to read them.”

Andrew leans forward, his forearms on the table and cocks his head to the side. His heart swelling with the amount of trust she’s showing. He reaches forward to trace a finger down the spines of the books and lets out a breath he was holding.

“You want me to read these? Why?”

Not that he’s not interested in these dusty old books but it seems odd letting a random troubled teen have access to her irreplaceable and probably expensive family heirlooms. It was almost like she read his mind, laughing sweetly before pushing the stack towards him.

“You have a power within you and I want to help you find it.”

Andrew didn’t even try to hide the strange look on his face as she spoke. She sounded insane, almost as insane as he felt for kinda believing her.

“I don’t need anyone's help.”

Bee grabbed one of the books from the stack and opened it up towards him. The book was older than the others in the stack and anybody would be able to tell from the weathered leather and the yellow tinge the pages held. Andrew looked at it with a blank face that tried to cover up any curiosity he was feeling. The words were handwritten, as to be expected, scrawled in a delicate hand. His interest was peaking and he didn’t feel up to hiding it. Andrew caressed the pages with a gentle hand feeling each wrinkle in the page and holding his breath like one stray gust would make the whole book crumble.  
The moment his hands touched the pages of the book he felt something change. Looking at it things were always hazy, never once was he able to get a clear look and being shown the pages the words on the page were the same. He’d blamed it on the lack of light or his lack of sleep but now looking at the words under his hand they were clear as day even in the dimly lit library.

“There’s more than just the magic in the library books.”

Andrew squinted his eyes into an almost deadly glare. What was she playing at?

“I’m not as gullible as you think I am.”

Bee stilled but continued to smile.

“Open your mind and welcome what you’ve already known, Andrew.”

It was that night Betsy Dobson took on Andrew as her apprentice. Showing him the different types of magic that were written in her family's grimoire (Which Andrew comes to find was protected by a charm protecting it from unwanted and wavering eyes) and how Bee herself was some weird mix of a clairvoyant and at most times received premonitions both good and bad. How she knew Andrew was going to be a constant presence in her library and wouldn’t even dare shun him away or read into something he didn’t consent to. He didn’t know if he should feel relieved or suspicious but he found himself leaning towards the former.  
Andrew spent hours listening and taking mental notes of the things Bee was saying, feeling a force inside him tug and pull until he was completely sold and found himself wanting to not only learn but perfect the practice and make things his own.

Moments like these never lasted long, especially for Andrew.

They lost track of time and before Andrew knew it it was time for him to leave, a feeling of dread settling over his body. He pushed the books towards Bee not trusting himself or the people he lived with to respect them. Bee understood and took them back, bookmarking the page they were at and pushing them to the side. She smiled at him.

“I’ll see you later, Andrew.”

He nodded before grabbing his things, finding himself wishing he could stay in the library with Bee forever.

Unsurprisingly Andrew found himself making his way to the library the next night, a slight itch of excitement humming under his skin until it became unbearable. He never believed in fairytales or the religious bullshit most people put their faith in but now is more of a time than ever to start.  
Bee sat in her usual place in the library and stood to welcome him as he walked through the door, the books already set up in their usual place this time coupled with two mugs of something steaming.

“I hope you like hot chocolate.”

Andrew nodded and b lined for the desk dropping his backpack on the floor next to his feet and scooped the warm cup into his hand and took a long sip. Sweets of any kind were always a valid bargaining chip in his book.

“Before we get started tonight I have some questions for you.”

Andrew motioned for her to continue.

“How would you like to live here? With me in the library?”

Andrew looked at her through his lashes and clenched his jaw. The offer was too good to refuse but seemingly impossible. Cass Spear was someone who he hoped would change his life for good, take care of him and make him feel safe but all she was capable of doing was making him feel trapped and crushed the last tendrils of hope now holding him under until he couldn’t breathe. She was a dream turned nightmare.  
Living in the library was another hope he had squished early on so when something inevitably went wrong it would hurt less. He had obviously failed.

He nodded letting himself have one more dream.

Bee gave her signature smile this time with something more bright and personal. A smile just for Andrew.

“Wonderful! No need to worry I’ll handle everything.”

Andrew didn’t bother to correct her, to tell her he’s not worried but that’d be a lie. He also doesn’t bother to question her methods when he was taken from the Spear household the next day, leaving a crying Cass and an angry and brooding Drake behind not even bothering to take the few things he managed to procure over his stay.

The first thing he works on with Bee is a protection spell of sorts. A simple spell she calls it but makes sure she gets the point across that even if it’s simple it’s just as powerful. A simple spell to him but a curse to Cass Spear. Andrew channels whatever energy he’s coached into finding and feeling to make sure not one more soul is unfortunate enough to be put into the Spear household. He doesn’t know if it works but he gets confirmation when Bee tells him one day that the Spears have moved.

“Something a little birdie told me. Apparently she was having trouble finding more kids to foster and potentially adopt.”

If Andrew smiled a small rueful smile no one needed to know.


	2. Paper Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter the Twinyards and there’s a expected but unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last page and a half of this is kinda competely unedited oops  
> Literally no one:  
> Me: *Naming the story and chapters lyrics from Fleetwood Mac songs*  
> Me: Ah yes. v i b e s.

The library was somewhat of an anomaly in the small town community it lived in. Nestled snugly between the humble town square of Palmetto and a practically ancient residential area managing to fit in perfectly and inconspicuously but stand out for those individuals, like Andrew, that needed it. 

Betsy Dobson took immense care of the building, the outside looking an odd mix of industrial and rural, the inside being anything but modest and sickeningly domestic. Rows upon rows of shelves filled to the brim with books, always in alphabetical order and not one too close to the edge than the others thanks to Bee and her meticulous and obsessive attention to detail. 

No matter where you stood, the sunlight that flowed through the bay windows found its way to the few patrons that drifted aimlessly between the rows of old books leaving them shrouded in that safe and comforting aura that left Andrew at ease. It was an environment that he found himself sinking into and even after all these years it astounded him how he could feel his soul easily settling into the old creaking wood of the floorboards. 

Andrew sat on the counter behind the front desk, back against the wall and legs crossed in front of him, his own grimoire open in his lap as he took in the small amateur drawings slowly coming to life and finding their way off the page, miniature creatures of varying looks and species blinking up at him. It took six years of continuous practice and frustration before he was able to bring these simple doodles to life, companions for when the solitude turned self destructive and the silence deafening. They reminded him of the progress he worked so hard to make and that he was no longer that scared sixteen year old kid clinging onto the late night visits to the place he was now able to call his home. 

Now, twenty two years old and watching the small arrangement of multicolored pen drawn monsters fight to their metaphorical death in some battle that Andrew assumed was intense for the miniature beings, he smiles. A small lift at the corners of his lips, something so few have seen stunningly grace his face. The rings on his hands clanked against each other as he gently pushed and poked the monsters around, their tiny arms tapping him back in return. 

The library was covered in his creations, mostly drawings mirroring the realism of the witch-hazel he found his eyes hovering on a few seconds longer than most on his daily walk or some other random flora he saw that reminded him of Bee, he watched her face light up in that genuine smile every time her eyes landed on the new addition to the library.

The sound of the bell hanging from the front door knob alerted Andrew standing up quickly, ushering his monsters back into their rightful places in his book where they melded back perfectly into place on the page, he closed the book with a huff and turned towards the figure approaching him.

Aaron Minyard was, at the time of Andrew’s discovery of him, an unwanted surprise. Still strung up tight from the years in the foster system and hellish years with the Spears, a long lost twin brother was not something he expected nor necessarily wanted, but Andrew was on a protective streak and found himself walking towards Bee the next day with the letter from said twin gripped tightly in his hand. That was part of the reason Aaron was here now, standing in front of Andrew bundled in god knows how many layers and coats and a hat placed carefully onto his head so as not to disturb the hair he no doubt spent way too much time on. 

“Relax little brother. It’s just me.”

Andrew scowled at his twin and opened his book back up, letting his monsters roam free once again.

“I should have eaten you in the womb when I had the chance, _little brother._ ”  
  
Aaron shrugged, eyes flitting to the creatures running around on the front desk.

  
The road to how they were around each other now was no easy task, it took months of butting heads before they could even sit through a dinner together without one of them lunging for the others throat. Bee took it upon herself to happily welcome the other twin with open arms, getting him out of his own shitty family predicament and to the safe space of the library. It was semi peaceful for a while, the twins ignoring each other in the upstairs living portion of the building that was closed off to the general public as they went about their daily rituals and schedules and biting their tongues at the dinner table so as not to upset Bee (even though her ability to read their minds meant they didn't necessarily have to hold it all in. Really it was just out of respect for the woman that gave them a true home.), but then Nicky Hemmick came along.

Nicky was another miscreant rejected by his family, running away from his outrageously homophobic and bigoted parents and traveling with what money he was able to save before finding his cousins, another letter sent Andrew’s way made him scoff and turn to Bee later that night at the dinner table. Tossing the letter her way.  
  
“Your habit of taking in strays is mediocre at best.”

“It’s the library, Andrew. This should be of no surprise to you.”

His disdain for the newcomers in his life didn’t last long, the moment Nicky arrived it was like things were set into motion full speed ahead, threatening to crash and go up in flames. Nicky was a mediator, able to stop the most brutal of arguments between the twins before they even seemed to happen, like he was a key element that was missing. Andrew would be lying if he said he didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of joy when Nicky agreed to stay for a while. 

Andrew took note of the mixed emotions on Aaron’s face as he examined the creatures on the desk, his twin was always a little apprehensive towards the practice, skirting around the topic or ignoring it all together. The discomfort he felt evaporated the moment he found what interested him. Bee always said everyone had a little magic in them, a small sliver of untapped potential that could go a long way if cultivated and cared for. That’s how Aaron found his feet firmly planted in his apothecary practice.

Aaron cleared his throat and placed a package down on the desk, just barely missing the blob that was squishing around, yearning for the other blonde's attention.

“I have a new balm for Betsy to try out. It’s getting colder and I know her arthritis must be acting up.”

Andrew looked at him and gestured to the upstairs with a lazy hand. 

“She’s upstairs. Probably tearing her hair out over tonight's weekly coven meeting.”

Aaron nodded.  
  
“Those meetings aren’t that bad, you know. Even Nicky manages to shut up long enough to hear everyone speak. We’re always accepting new members and Betsy would be over the moon if you showed up.”

Andrew grumbled, uninterested. 

“Pass.”

Not that the idea of sitting in a room full of strangers wasn’t appealing, but he didn’t need a false sense of security with a bunch of rejected and spiteful witches, he didn’t yearn for that sense of belonging when the library provided just enough of that validation for him. He wasn’t lonely and bitter no matter how many times Nicky pointed out the opposite.

“Alright but you’re going to be the one to tell him. Enjoy that pitiful face of disappointment and know you’re the reason behind it.”

“Nicky’s theatricals don’t bother me. Now be gone you’re upsetting my friends.”

Aaron huffed reluctantly sliding the package off the desk and made his way to the stairs that led to their living space, more times than not the smell of burning sage and incense made its way down and invaded Andrew’s senses. It was a smell that became familiar and overwhelming, still managing to somehow calm his spirit as well as make him crinkle his nose in vain attempts to lessen the assault on his sense of smell. 

Andrew sighed at the small beings continuing to roam on the desk in front of him and for a moment he found himself wishing he could be in their place, marching around without a care, their only point of focus being the make believe battle they made up in their simple brains. He corralled them back into his book giving each of them a pat on the head before closing them in and pushing it aside, giving the small stacks of books across the room his reluctant attention, Bee wanted them organized and shelved as soon as possible. However reluctant he was, it needed to be done and he was an employee after all.

  
  


It was hours later when the few stragglers of the library had finally made their way out, Aaron included having dropped off his delivery, when Andrew found himself in the same predicament hours before. Bored out of his mind with nothing to do but listen to the heavy rain beat against the roof and well on his way to having his own doodle army when the hairs on his neck stood. The atmosphere becoming tense with every drop of rain. Andrew, feeling unsettled as always when this kind of thing happened, silenced the high pitched roars and soft clomping noises of the creatures below. This was a heavy rain bringing with it danger and filling Andrew with pure dread. Something or someone was coming and he felt unprepared and unpleasantly caught off guard.

This was one of the things Andrew wished didn’t come with the ‘open your mind’ and ‘find your inner power and potential’ bullshit.

Bee claimed it was his intuition, the universe warning him of the seen and unseen forces gravitating towards him, Andrew just thought it was fucking annoying. 

Setting him on edge and making him paranoid of the places and people around him. He hated to admit that at times it was helpful, like when Tilda made an unexpected visit only a few months after Aaron moved in, bringing the same looming sense of danger. Safe to say it didn’t end well for good old mother dearest, it was instances like that he was actually thankful for the warning. 

Andrew glared out the window at the rain, hand traveling absentmindedly to the necklace hidden under his black sweater, fingers tracing the shape of the pendant. One of the first gifts Bee had given him, a tiger's eye stone that he kept nuzzled safely under his shirt at all times, it was a personal talisman of sorts and he wouldn’t be caught dead without it. His grip was like iron and he felt only minutely relieved, his mind taking creative liberty to feed him ideas on what dangers could be close ahead and wondering what measures he’d need to take to protect his loved ones.

Andrew huffed and reached for the smudging kit placed neatly in the drawer of the front desk, it became a ritual of some sorts when Andrews intuition acted up, to cleanse the area and rid it of any negative energies trying to attach themselves to him or the people around him. 

The other residents of the house were out, attending the weekly coven meeting that took place deeper into the downtown area, which left Andrew alone in the library enjoying the peace and quiet. The scent of sage making itself at home in his nose with the smell of paper and the holiday candles that Bee loves, casting faint shadows across the walls and shelves, he knew better than to think the feeling earlier was a fluke and the sudden rumble of thunder and flash of lightning blinding him confirmed the dread rising up his throat like bile. 

Thank whatever power above for Bee’s ridiculous candle collection.

With the storm came flickering lights, the wind screaming and groaning outside, the scraping of tree branches sending a chill through his bones. Whatever was coming was closer than he thought making his skin crawl. 

Another crack of thunder had the flickering of the lights cease completely leaving Andrew in the constricting darkness, the soft glow from the candles being his only light. 

He scowled. 

_How cliché. What next? Ghosts? Vampires?_

The sound of the front door opening slowly caught his attention, hand finding its way back to the pendant around his neck, forcing any look other than indifference off of his face he stood and waited, eyes trained on the door opening. 

He doesn’t know what he was expecting, maybe an actual creature or some ghost from his own past, but a soaking wet redhead was the last thing on his long list of dangers. 

Even in the dim candlelight Andrew could see the cold blue eyes staring at him behind wet eyelashes, his slim frame shaking and Andrew almost did a double take as he looked him over, he wasn’t wearing any shoes. If Bee were here she’d be quick to sweep the mysterious guest into her arms and offer him immediate help, but Bee wasn’t here and Andrew didn’t take kindly to unannounced guests. Especially ones that announced their arrival with thunderstorms and set the alarm bells in his body ablaze.

“Bee won’t be happy coming home to water damage.”

Andrew nodded to the pool of water quickly gathering by the man's feet, the man in question cocked his head and looked down, the confused expression leaving his face.

“Who is Bee?”

Andrew grabbed his keys and notebook, motioning for the newcomer to go back to the front door before blowing out the candles.  
  


“The witch who owns this library. Who I’m taking you to.”

The man bristled at that, eyes going wide for a fraction of a second before squinting in a glare at the blonde.

“Why?”

Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“She’s in charge of the strays. I just work here. Now go.”

Andrew watched him turn and took the opportunity to look him over, oversized clothes and duffel bag still dripping water on the floor, he looked like a cat after being forced to take a bath. He would have found it amusing if his nerves weren’t still being set ablaze and he could practically feel Bee’s excitement at the idea of another person to offer refuge to. 

The ride into downtown was awkward, neither of the two choosing to speak first resulting in the maserati being cloaked in a smothering silence, Andrew’s knuckles white from his iron grip on the wheel. It was when Andrew parked on the side of the road a ways down from the mom and pop diner he knew held the coven meeting, really it was just a glorified version of a weekly family dinner and Andrew wanted no part of it, was when he finally turned to the transient in the passenger seat. Holding the duffle tightly to his chest, flinching at the sudden movement, the streetlights illuminating his face provided a clearer view than the dark candle lit library and Andrew had to hold back the sudden anger at the cluster of scars littering his face. 

“We’re here. Get out.”

“I’m Neil by the way. In case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t.”

Andrew stopped the car and got out, he could feel Neil’s hesitance and from the way he reacted at the mention of taking him to a witch and the scars lining his face, he could only guess the stray hadn't had the best experiences with witches. 

“Typically you’re supposed to introduce yourself to people when you first meet them.”

Andrew drew out a pack of cigarettes, grabbing one before blowing on the tip of it, the end glowing before taking a drag. He blew the smoke towards Neil, disappointment settling when the other didn’t cringe or cough. _How Boring._  
  


“Andrew.”  
  


Leaving no room for more conversation, Andrew set down the sidewalk for the diner, a nice small 60’s themed place with the best chocolate chip pancakes Andrew had ever tasted. The place was owned by a grumpy man and his loving wife, it was one of the first places Bee had taken him after she took him in and the first time he ate those heavenly pancakes.

Andrew flicked his cigarette to the side and stomped it out with his boot, opening the door and motioning for Neil to go in first, the sound of the jukebox playing floating out in the streets.

“I’m sorry but we’re closed for a private event.”

  
Andrew lazily saluted David Wymack, the grumpy man that partly owned the diner and had his own spot in Bee’s little coven.

“No worries, Coach. He’s with me.”  
  


In front of them sat Bee’s coven, having pushed multiple dining tables together to accommodate all of them, they sat staring at Andrew and his ‘guest’. Andrew watched Nicky open his mouth, most likely ready to express his surprise and excitement at Andrew and his _new friend_ , before walking forward towards Bee who looked just as confused as everyone else.

“Look what the storm blew in.”

Bee stood, her plate forgotten about as she looked Neil over.

“Andrew, he isn’t wearing any shoes!”

“Not my problem.”

She huffed before ushering the redhead to sit down in her place, turning to Wymack.

“Get this boy something to eat. He looks famished.”

Andrew stood back as Bee and the others fretted over the newcomer, he took note of the way his shoulders tensed at the unwavering focus on him and the multitude of questions being thrown at him from every which way. He watched the way Neil’s eyebrows crinkled and the scars pulled at his skin as a confused and almost stressed look made its way onto his face.

_‘Welcome to the circus.’_

Andrew huffed out a laugh and left the diner, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, heading back to the car. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but my heart literally died at the idea of Aaron in fall/winter clothes and SMILING. What the HECK  
> aLSO Andrew wearing rings???? I love my goth son.  
> I wasn't expecting the good feed back and it made me so happy :') Thank you for taking the time out of your day for reading. You da best

**Author's Note:**

> Please be gentle :')  
> My ears are open for suggestions on where this story should go!


End file.
